Automatic fire-shutter



MPUCA'QK)?! FILED DEC. 81 1919.

Pam u Apr. 26,1921

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pairs err PATENT CHARLES H. BUELII; OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQR TOVARIETY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-SHUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application filed December 8, 1919. Serial No. 343,319.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES II. BU'ELL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Automatic Fire- Shutters, ofwhich the following is afull,

clear, concise, and exact description, refer ence being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to automatic fire doors, more particularly of therolling shutter type. In this class of fire doors, it is a frequentpractice to provide a manual operating device,-which is most frequentlyan operating chain,for raising or lower ing the fire shutterindependently of the automatic trip or release mechanism. This is topermit of convenient use of the shutter as an ordinary door, and tofacilitate the restoring of the shutter to normal position after thesame has been automatically tripped by the operation of the thermalrelease. Extensive use of this type of fire shutter has demonstratedthat this operating chain is liable to interfere with the automaticoperation of the shutter, if the chain is maintained in operativeconnection with the shutter after automatic tripping of the latter. Thisinterference with the operation of the shutter arise from jamming of thechain in the rapid descent of the shutter; from thechain becoming caughtor entangled on an. obstruction or the like; or from objects being hungacross the chain or being placed in contact therewith in such a manneras to interfere with the normal running of the chain. To secure thereliability which is essential to a fire door, it is thereforeimperative that the manual opcrating means be disconnected fromoperapartly in section of an automatic fire shutter to which myinvention has been applied;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same illustrating an exemplary form ofautomatic tripping mechanism;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the other end of the shutterillustrating the operating chain and release mechanism therefor; and

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of the same.

The invention may be applied to various types of fire shutters operatingby various forms of automatic trip or release mechanisms, employingeither springs, weights or any other means for causing the descent ofthe shutter in the event of fire. For the purpose of a specificillustration of the ap plication of my invention, I shall, however,describe the same as being embodied in an automatic fire shutter of thegeneral type disclosed in Patent No. 1,290,514 issued to Thomas E.Collins.

The fire shutter l is adapted to be guided in vertical guide rails 2'defining an opening 3 in the wall 4. The shutter 1 comprises a pluralityof metal slats or the like connected together so as to form a flexiblecurtain, as is well understood by those skilled in the art. In thenormal raised position the curtain 1 is rolled upon a drum 5, which isinclosed' in a cylindrical housing 6 mounted above the door opening 3.The right hand end of the drum 5 is supported on a filler block 7, whichis rigidly mounted on a stub sleeve 8. This sleeve has bearing supportin the end plate 9 of the casing, and at its outer end supports a largegear 11. Extending centrally through the drum 5 and through the sleeve 8is a shaft 12, the left hand end of which has bearing support in afiller block 13. A strong counterbalancing spring 14:, which is normallyunder tension, has one end connected to the shaft 12, through the collar15, and has the other end connected to the drum 5 through the fillerblock 13. The left hand end of the drum 5 is supported on a filler block16, in which is rigidly mounted a stub shaft 17 having bearing supportin the end plate 9 of the housing.

The right hand end of the shaft 12 pro iects out beyond the sleeve 8 andgear 11 and has rigidly mounted thereon a pinion 18 which meshes with alarge gear 19 on a short countershaft 21. fUpon the back side of thelarge gear 19 and formed integral therewith is a small mutilated pinion22 which is adapted to mesh with the large gear 11 on the sleeve 8. Thelarge gear 19 is formed with a lug 23, which is adapted to limit therotation of the gear 19 by engagement with a stationary stop 24. Thegear 19 is normally held against rotation by the dog 25 on the end ofthe weighted lever 26 engaging in the teeth thereof. The weighted lever26 is normally held in the raised position by a bell crank 27, which inturn is held by a cable 28 having one or more fusible links or fusibleportions 29, included therein, as is well understood by those skilled inthe art. Upon fusing of the links 29 the dropping of the weighted lever26 results in the releasing of the large gear 19. The tension of thespring 14 immediately acts through the pinion 18 upon the gear 9, andthe gear 19 being integral with the back pinion 22 causes the same toadvance and mesh with the teeth of the gear 11, which is connected tothe drum 5. The result is a movement of the drum in the directionindicated by the arrow such as to unwind the curtain 1 from the drum.The lug 23 and stop 24 prevent excessive release of the spring tension,because after the curtain is once started down it will continue by itsown weight since the tension of. the spring 14 has been decreased. Thelug 23 engages the lower side of the stop 24 so that the gear 19 makessubstantially a complete revolution. hen the gear 1.9 stops with the lug23 on the lower side of the stop 24,

the mutilated portion of the gear 22 is again presented to the largegear 11 so that the curtain is free to descend, but further movement ofthe pinion 22 and gear 19 is prevented.

Referring now to the manual cue-rating device, to which the presentinvention has particular reference, it will be noted that at the lefthand end of the shutter there is provided an operating chain 31, whichis suspended from the shutter mechanism in the form of a closed chainloop. As shown in Fig. 3, this operating chain is trained over a largesprocket wheel 32, which is provided with a small back pinion 33,preferably formed integral therewith. The pinion is adapted to mesh witha large gear 34, which is rigidly mounted on the projecting end ofthestub shaft 17, which rotates with the drum 5. The sprocket 32 andpinion 33 are jOurnaled-oIl an eccentric hub 35 which is rigidly mountedon a pivot shaft 36. A

, suitable bushing 37 is interposed between the eccentric hub 35 and thehub of the sprocket 32 and pinion 33. The eccentric hub 35 isillustrated as being pinned to the shaft 36 by a transverse pin 38,although it will be obvious that this eccentric hub may be formedintegral with the shaft 36.

The inner end of this pivot shaft has bearof the frame member tostrengthen the hub 41 and the frame member.

0n the outer projecting end of the pivot shaft 36 is rigidly mounted alever 45 having a weighted end 46. This lever is normally supported in asubstantially horizontal position by a transversely disposed bell cranklever 47 which is pivoted on a bracket extension 48 formed integral withthe menr ber 42. The bell crank lever 47 is held in its restrainingposition by the cable 28 being fastened thereto. The upper position ofthe weighted lever 45 is determined by an adjustment screw 49 whichthreads down tirough the bracket extension 48 and acts as an abutmentstop engaging the lever 45. The adjusting screw 49 permits of adjustmentof the mesh between the teeth on the pinion 33 and the teeth on thelarge gear 34, and relieves these teeth of any strain which might beimposed by tension in the cable 28. Asshown in Fig. 1, a centrifugalbrake 51 is supported on the upper portion of the casing 6. This brakeis driven from the large gear 34 through a pinion h2, which gears up thespeed of the brake shaft 53. This centrifugal brake is of the type whichdoes not apply the brake shoes until an e:-; cessive speed is attained,this speed being such that it is normally unattained by the manualraising and lowering of the shutter. The gear 34 and socket 321133 beinclose'd by an outer casing if desired.

In the manual operation of the shutter, the curtain is either raised orlowered by simply pulling down on either side of the chain hoist, andthus rotating the large gear 34 through the sprocket 32 and pinion 33.

The counter balancing function of the spring 14 retains the curtain inany position to which it is raised or lowered. Upon the fusing of thelink 29 by fire temperatures, the automatic trip mechanism, comprisingthe gears 11 and'18 and the back gears '19 and 22, is released so as toreverse the action of the spring 14 and utilize the tension thereof tostart the descent of the curtain, as previously described.Simultaneously with the severance of the cable 28, the bell crank 47swings down, permitting the weighted lever 45 to drop to the position beapparent that the resulting rotation of the shaft 36 and eccentric hub85 will oscillate the sprocket wheel 32 and pinion 33 down into theposition illustrated by the dotted circles. In this position the teethof the pinion 33 are cleared of the teeth of the large gear 34, so as topermit free and independent rotation of the large gear 34 without anypossibility of interference from the chain hoist. It should be notedthat the axis of the shaft 36 is disposed forward of the vertical axialplane of the stub shaft 17, so that in the automatic descent of thecurtain the counter clockwise rotation of the large gear at, as denotedby the arrow 60, will tend to cam the pinion 38 out of mesh and downinto the dotted line position. It will therefore be apparent that uponoperation of the thermal release the rotation of the gear 3 1- willforcibly cam the pinion 38 down and out of mesh, even in the event thatthe weighted arm d5 should fail to drop and gyrate the pinion out ofmesh.

As I have previously remarked, it will be understood that the presentinvention is not limited to any particular construction of fire door,nor to the present form of trip mechanism, but may be extended tovarious types of fire doors operating by various types of tripmechanism, such as weights, auxiliary springs, etc.

I do not intend to be limited to the specific details herein shown anddescribed.

I claim:

1. In combination, a fire shutter, 'thermally controlled means forautomatically closing said shutter, a chain hoist for manually operatingsaid shutter through eccentrically mounted gears, and thermallycontrolled means for releasing said eccentrically mounted gears fromengagement with said shutter simultaneously with the automatic closureof said shutter.

2. In combination, a rolling fire shutter, thermally controlled meansfor effecting the automatic closure of said rolling shutter, an

controlled means for releasing said automatic trip mechanism, achainhoist for manually operating said shutter, a gear connecting said chainhoist with said rolling shutter, an eccentric bearing for said gear, andmeans operated by the release of said thermally controlled means forrotating said eccentric bearing.

4:. In combination, a drum, a curtain connected to said drum, means forautomatically moving said curtain to closed position, thermal meanscontrolling said automatic means, an operating chain for manuallyoperating said curtain, a sprocket rotated by said operating chain, agear connected to said drum, a second gear connecting said sprocket withsaid first gear, an eccentric bearing for said second gear, a lever forrotating said eccentric bearing, said lever normally tending to rotatesaid eccentric bearing to unmesh said gears, and means controlled bysaid thermal means for restraining said lever against rotation.

5. In combination, a drum, a curtain on said drum, balancing meansnormally balancing the curtain, thermally controlled means for reversingthe operation of the balancing means to thrust the curtain downward,manual operating means for operating said curtain, and means controlledby said thermally controlled means for disconnecting said manualoperating means from said curtain.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 4th day ofDecember, 1919.

CHARLES H. BUELL.

